Fulling-machine.



F. J. MANSFIELD.

FULLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED my 31, 1913.

1,158,257, Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

5 SHEhTS SHEET 1- F. J. MANSFIELD.

FULLING MACHINE.

AFPLICATEON men MAY 31. 1913.

1,158257. Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

5 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Win/6656s: ,ju jenton F. J. MANSFItLD.

FULLING MACHINE.

APPLICPQTION FILED MAYSI H73 1,158,257. Pun-[ml Oct. 215, 1915.

BSHEETS SHEET 4 F. J. MANSFIELD.

FULLING MACHINE.

APPLWAHON HLED MAY 31. I913 Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

5 SHEETS SHEET 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK 3'. mm, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

YU'LLING-IACHIHE.

1.153.257. W Rm Patent Patented Oct. 26, 1915. Application fled 1317 3L 1913. Serial 30. mm.

ToaRwhomit-mayconcem: 5 isan enlarged section through one of the Be it known that I, Fume]; J. Marie rnzno, a citizen of the United States, reading at- Pasadena, in the county of Angeles and State of California, have 1nvented a new and useful Fulling-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to falling machines and the main object of the invention is to provide a machine which will have a much greater capacity for a given size than other machines of which I am aware. In such machines the usual custom is to secure the endsoftheclothwgeflierinsuchamanner as to form a continuous belt and to propel the belt through the machine. This manner of propelling the cloth belt took up considerable room on accoimt of the action of the cloth which rendered a considerahle length of it taut, hence no convolutiosns with a resultant 10$ of capacity. In my invention 1 move the cloth through the machine in an entirely difierent manner. Instead of fastening its ends together to form a belt 1 leave the ends uniastened and placetheclothinthemachineinapromiscuous way and provide the machine with internal, moving, corrugated surfaca, which act the cloth andcarryit around inside of the machine it the necesary movement, these corrugated mrfaces being efiected to move the cloth upon contact with itwhileitisinacrumpledoondifion. By placingtheclothinthemachineinthismannerlamenahledtogetamuchgreater amount of cloth inside a machine of a given size.

Another object of the invention is to provide for expanding certain of the corrugated rolls thus reducing the internal volume of the machine when a smaller amount of cloth isinsertedinordertomaintaintheproper amtact of the corrugated portions with the cloth and give the cloth the necesary pro- Beferringto the drawings: Figurelisa side elevation of the machine Fig. 2 is a front elevation with part of the machine broken away to show the interior. 3 is an end elevation of a portion of the machine with the removed; 4 is a perspective of one of the rolls internal gear rolls Fig. 6 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale, of part of the expanding mechanism. Fig. 7 is a section on line T-7, Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an end view of one of the end plates of an expanded roller. Fig. 10 IS a section on line 1010, Fig. 2.

The machine comprises a cylindrical drum 1 a sliding door 2. The wall of the cylinder 1 is provided with openings into which project corrugated rollers 3, 3*, 3" and 3 which are of varying sizes, as shown in Fig. 10. The drum is also provided with ofi'set housings t in which are corrugated rollers 5 and 5". These rollers are expansible circumferentially, as will be described. In the center is a corrugated roller 6. The diameters of the rollers 3 and 6 and their relative in the drum are such as to provide a pasage between said rollers which the cloth is carried in the manner hereinafter fully described. The drum 1 is dationary and the rollers are caused to rotate by suitable gearing, as will be described. 7 is a sliding abutment. which is adjustable radially in the drum 1 to cause its inner portion to project a grrelailtler or les distance from the wall of the and thereby act to partially turn the clothasitfallsaswillbeexplained. The abutment 7 is provided with a series of holes I which are by a spring latch 7 to lock the abutment when adjusted to various positions.

The cloth is placed through the door 2 intothemachine and isnot arranged in any definite way except that it is irregularly crumpled or folded and laid in such a way that the general longitudinal dimension of the cloth lies circumferentially of the drum. As the corrugated rollers revolve the corrugations which project against the cloth move the cloth along around the drum in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 10, and carry it up around to the top of the drum, and from the top the cloth falls down upon the abutment '7 and commences another circuit. The movement of the cloth around the drum produces the bending and pressing required for fulling it, and the abutment 7 acts to insure that the cloth will be turned each time that it rotates so that there is no pofiibility of the cloth being subjected a second time to exactly the same contact with the rollers. If a les amount of cloth is used the abut ment 7 is moved farther in to bring the falling cloth closer to the roller 6, and I also provide for the rollers 5 and 6 to give the necessary grip upon the cloth when there is a les amount in the machine.

The roller 6 is mounted upon a shaft 8 which is driven by a pulley 9, as shown in Fig.1, and a gear 10 is 8 and meshes with 11, which are respectively mounted on shafts 12, which carry the respective expansible rollers 5 and. A pinion 13 is mounted-on a shaft- 14 which carries one of the rollers 3, the other roller 3 being mounted on a similar shaft 14 and equipped with a sprocket 15. The roller 3 iscarriedonashaftlfiwithsprooket 1T. Thenextroller3iscarriedonashaftl8 with sprocket l9 and the second roller 3 is carried on shaft 20 witha sprocket 20, and the roller 3 is carried on a shaft 21 with sprocket )2. All these mentional sprockets are operated by a chain 23 which is held in proper relation by idle sprockets 24, so that as the pulley 9 revolves, the center shaft 8 operates through a pulley 9, belt 9", pulley 9 and theaiorementioned sprocket gearing drives all of thecelcvating rollers. The rollers 6 and 5 act together to impart; the necessary annular movement to the cloth soas .or'orcethecloththrouglthepasage bemten the roller 6 and the rollers 3. The corrgations of the roller 6 are relatively coarse for the purpose offeeding the cloth between the rollers and for and bendingtheclothuponitseliasitissofed, whiletheeorrugationsoftherollers3are relatively line. The action of the rollers 3 inconjundionwiththerollerfiissuchasto compresthecloth soasto draw themeshes of the fabric closa togeflrer.

Practim has shown me that to obtain the best results when fullingcloth, rariouspressuresandbendingsmus'beproducedsoas to properly afi'ect the difieralt lengths of fibers. The fibers usually found in a piece of cloth yfall intofonrclamthat is, long fibers, medium length flaers, short fibers, and very short fibers. It is bestzto startthelongfibersfullingfirshandhenoe I provide the large roller 5 near the entrance to the casing. This roller ooacting with the roller 6, produces a and binding action best adapted to the long fibers. The cloth next paes between the roller 6 and the very small iollers'l. and the intensity of the and bendfnrg action is greatly diminished, so that the very hort fibers will begin to full. The intensity of the bending and pressing action is inversely proportional to the length of the fibers, and l have taken this fact into consideration and provided rolleis of differ ent diameters As the cloth moves between the roller 3 and the central roller, the next to the shortestfihers full and the roller 3' cause the medium length fibers to full. It is esential that the pressure be increased as the cloth pass3ge more nearly approaches the vertical, for otherwise the cloth would not feed properly since the force required to raise the same increases in direct proportion to the incline increase. I have also found that the more sudden the changes in the presing and bending action the better the fulling operation will be performed and therefore I provide the small roller 3, which causes the pressureto be suddenly reduced, and then I provide the large expansive roller :5 whichagain increases the bending and ressing-action on the cloth.

The intensity of the bending action is dependent upon the dim or the ooacm'ng rollers to a great extent, and also upon the size of the corrugations For instance, the large rollers 5, 5 coact with the large roller 6 and produce an intense bending action upon the cloth since the latter is forced into the channels formed by the corrugations The small rollers .3, 3 have smaller corrugations than the rollers 55, 5, and do not cause the cloth to be bent so severely. They also reduce the eon the cloth.

The side of the drum has removable sections25 with handles 26 and bolts 27 employed for the section 25 in place. T heso bolts may beof any daired construction and form no mutual part of the U1- vention.

The a rollers 5 which are preferably, though not necessarily of wood, are oonstructedasshowninFi lto9im elusive, each consisting of a plurality of-segmental leaves 28 with intermediate snail leaves 29 to fit concave surfaces 30 on leaves 28. The small intermediate leaves 29 have sockets 31 at each end, each socket 31 loosely receiving theend of an arm 32, each arm32 hingedtoahuh33whichhubs are mount on a threaded shaft 34, carrying pinions 35 at each end The threads at the respective ends of the shafts 34 are in a reverse direction to each other. By revolv ingshaftir'l thehuhs33 may be moved toward or from each other, and as the hubs are moved away from each other they act to swing the arms 32 into a position more nearly at rigt angdes to shaft 34 and there by move the leaves 29 outwardly while by moving the hubs 33 toward each other the leaves 29 are brought inward. The large outer leaves 2 are supported by a s mi ar structure except that the arms 32 thereof are shorter as shown in Fig 8. Thus when the outer leaves 28 are moved outwardly to expand the roller the inner lea es '29 are moved correspondingly outward to fill the gaps which necesarily are formed between the radially moving leaves 28.

The shafts 34 are rotatably mounted in plates 36 in the ends of the roller as shown in Fig. 7. and outer plates 37 are arranged outside the plates 36 as shown in detall m Fig. 9, the outer plates 37 having enlarged openings 38 which give access to the ends of shafts 34, the latter being provided with square ends 39 for enabling a wrench to be applied for turning them.

The pinions mesh with an annular gear 40 which as shown in detail in Fig. 5, is revolubly supported on bushings 41, which are retained by bolts 42 screwed into the end plates 3?. so that when any one of the pinions is rotated all of the others ane correspondingly actuated. An annular internal gear 1'4 is revolubly mounted on retaining bushings l5 which are similarly mounted to bushings 41. having bolts l6 which are scre ed into the intermediate leaves 2). and pinions ll mesh with the gear 44 with two intermediate pinions 48 between the pinions 3.) and 41' acting to transmit the power, so that simultaneous rotation of threaded shafts 34 is secured. Thus when it is desired to enlarge or reduce the area of a roller a wrench is applied to the square head 39 of one of the threaded shafts and rotated hereupon the aforedescribcd gearing causes the leaves 23 and 29 to be moved in or out awarding to the direction in which the threaded shafts 34 are turned.

What I claim is:

1. In a fulling machine,a stationary drum, a corrugated roller extending centrally through the drum, a plurality of oorrugated rollers spaced from said first mentioned roller and having their axes parallel thereto, and in an arc concentric with the drum. said rollers projecting into the drum through openings formed in the wall thereof.

2- In a fulling muchinc.a stationary drum, a corrugated roller extending longitudinally through the center of said drum. the wall of the drum being formed with a plurality of openings. and a plurality of corrugated rollers of different diameters revoluble in said openings and projecting into the drum. the axes of said second mentioned rollers being parallel to the axis of the first mentioned roller.

3. In a falling machineastationarydrum provided with a plurality of offset housings commtmicating with the interior thereof, a corrugated roller extending longitudinally through the center of the drum, a corrugated roller revoluble within each of said housin and projecting into the drum, the wall of the casing being formed with a plurality of openings, and a plurality of corrugated rollers arranged to revolve slid openings and to project into the drum,

all of said rollers having their axes parallel to each other.

4. In a fulling machine,a stationary drum provided with a plurality of oliset housings communicating with the interior thereof, a corrugated roller extending longitudinally through the drum at the center thereof, and an expansive corrugated roller arranged to revolve within each of said housings and to pro ect into the drum to coact with said first mentioned roller.

5. In a fulling machine of the character dtscribed, a stationary drum formed with an ofi'set housing communicating with the interior thereof, a corrugated roller extending centrally through said drurm an expansive corrugated roller revoluble within said housing and projecting into said drum to coact with said first mentioned roller. and a plurality of smaller corrugated rollers arranged in an arc concentric with said first mentioned roller and projecting into the drum to coact with the latter.

6. In a fulling machine. a stationary drum, an expansive corrugated roller extending centrally through 531d drum. a plurality of non-expansive corrugated rollers, and a plurality of expansive corrugated rollers, the second and third mentioned rollers being arranged around t-he first mentioned roller in spated parallel relation thereto and projecting into the drum.

4'. A fullina machine comprising a drum, a plurality of corrugated rollers with their corrugated leavfi extending into the drum, certain of said rollers being expansible, each expansible roller comprising segmental outer leaves. segmental intermediate leaves be tween the outer leaves, threaded shafts inside the expansihle roller, hubs on the threaded shafts arms pivoted to the hubs. said arms connected to the outer leaves and to the intermediate leaves. and gearing for simultaneously rotating said threaded shafts S. In a fulling machine, a stationary drum formed with a pair of off t housings communicating with the interior thereof. an expansive roller extending centrally through the drum. an expansive corrugated roller housed within each of said hous ngs. and a plurality of nonexpansive corrugated rollers, the second and third mentioned rollers being arranged in spaced parallel relation to the first mentioned roller and projecting into thedrum to coact with the latter.

9. lnafullingmachineadnmnaroller within said drum, a series of rollers with said firstroller for fulling the cloth, an abutment extending into said drum, and means for adjusting said abutment toward or away from said first roller.

10. In a fulling machine, a drum a plurality of leaf rollers with their leaves extending into the drum certain of said rollers being expansible, each eXpansible roller comprising segmental outer leaves, segmental In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set intermediate leaves between the outer leaves, my hand at s Angeles, California, this 10 23d day of May, 1913.

FREDERICK. J. BLANSFIELD.

In presence of Gm. T. HACKLBY, Liam M. Lmczn.

threaded shafts inside the expansible roller,

hubs on the threaded shafts, arms pivoted 5 to the hubs, said arms connected to the outer leaves and to the intermediate leaves, and

for simultaneously rotating said threaded shafts.

copies eat this patent may be obtained for five cents eanh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,158,257.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,158,257, granted October 26, 1915, upon the application of Frederick J. Mansfield, of Pasadena, California, for an improvmnont in "'Fulling-Muohinos, an error appears requiring correction as follows: ln tlmdmwings, Shoot 1, for Figure 1 as shown in tho putontroad Figure l, as here shown;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this corruction therein that the same may conforrn to the rem rd of the case in the Patent Offico.

Signed and sealed this 22d day of August, A. 1)., 1916.

[SEAL] r. w H. (in Y,

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